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The Butler women’s basketball team recorded a 58-54 win over Xavier on Wednesday night to improve to 15-14 on the year. BU never trailed in the contest and was led in the scoring column by freshman Lily Zeinstra.
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Butler made their first four shots of the game to open up a 9-0 lead over Xavier, but the Musketeers would nail a 3-pointer at the horn to tie the action at 11-11. Kilyn McGuff and Riley Makalusky supplied BU with nine of their 11 first quarter points. Aizhanique Mayo hit two 3-pointers for Xavier to net six.
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The start of the second quarter was a mirror image of the start of the game with BU outscoring Xavier 9-0 on 4-of-4 shooting. The ‘Dawgs led by as many as 12 in the first half but would take a five-point advantage into the half 30-25. Butler shot 48 percent over the first 20 minutes, but the Musketeers would hit half of their shots from behind the arc to climb back in it.
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Each team put seven points on the scoreboard over the first seven minutes of the third quarter. Free throws broke up scoring droughts for each side and Karsyn Norman would drive to the bucket at the end of the frame to give Butler a seven-point lead heading to the fourth.
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The tempo picked up in crunch time with Xavier jumping into a full-court press. XU was able to cut the deficit down to four with three to play and Mayo’s layup capped off a 6-0 run that made the game 51-49.
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Norman got Butler back on the scoreboard by splitting a pair from the line and the Bulldog defense got a stop on Xavier’s next trip down. Defense continued to be the theme as the Musketeers got a steal and a score from Givens that once again got Xavier within one.
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Norman returned to the line moments later to hit a pair for Butler with 11.9 left in regulation. The made free throws increased the lead to three at 54-51. A costly turnover would follow a Xavier timeout and Zeinstra would ice the win with two more free throws.
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Inside the Box Score
– Lily Zeinstra led Butler with 18 points in the win
– Nine of Zeinstra’s 18 came from the free throw line
– Kilyn McGuff had 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds
– Ari Wiggins chipped in with nine points and four assists
– Riley Makalusky had eight points and five rebounds
– Cristen Carter recorded a career-high four assists to go along with four points and five boards
– Lilly Stoddard set season-high totals in rebounds (5) and minutes played (13)
– BU never trailed in the contest
– The Bulldogs are 10-5 at home this season
– Wiggins started for the first time this year on Wednesday night
– Lily Carmody was inactive for the second-straight game
– Sydney Jaynes left the game in the first quarter with an injury and did not return
– BU and Xavier split the regular season series
– Xavier’s bench scored 30 of the team’s 54 points
– Mayo paced the Musketeer offense with 17 points
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Up Next
Butler will host #5 UConn on Saturday afternoon. The 4:30 tip at Hinkle Fieldhouse will air on SNY and stream on FoxSports.com. The contest also serves as Senior Day for Ari Wiggins, Kilyn McGuff, Caroline Strande and Sydney Jaynes. Their pregame recognition will occur nearly 20 minutes before opening tip.
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